Nico's Haunt
by hes-beauty-hes-jason-grace
Summary: There's something off about Will's new living space... A Solangelo Ghost! Au
1. Chapter 1

"For the record, this is a terrible idea."

They ignore her and carry on walking.

"I mean, come on," she continues, unperturbed," how many people have moved out of this room?"

They set the boxes down in the living room and Lee groans.

"Don't worry, we've still got plenty to go," Will says helpfully to him. Then to Lou Ellen; "All I know is that this apartment was affordable and within walking distance of my campus. Buying it didn't seem like such a bad idea to me."

"In the end, the real monster is student loans," Lee pipes up.

Lou ignores him,"So you're so responsible to the point where it's annoying about everything else, but this is where you decide to be stupid?"

"It's just an urban legend. Nothing's going to happen."

She mumbles something about famous last words and follows them downstairs to get more boxes.

None of them say anything more for a while, they just haul things back and forth from the car to Will's new apartment.

It's the hottest part of the day and everything hurts from all the heavy lifting, and no doubt the others feel just as bad as he does. Despite the nature of their conversation, he's grateful to have them around to help and he hopes they'll stay together, in spite of their wildly different majors and the fact that none of them are headed to the same college- Will was pursuing medicine, while Lou and Lee were both still undeclared. Although Lou had mentioned that she was might do something involving science. That whole thing; Will being the only one who knew what he wanted to do all the way back in the tenth grade, while his other friends still don't know by their first year in college- that was one of the many things that built up into what made Lou Ellen often describe him as "responsible to the point of annoyance". A few other contenders included Will always being the voice of reason whenever her and Lee were about to do something stupid, and his ability to always have his assignments finished days before the due date- something that had only reigned true up til his last few years of high school. After which, it'd become a case of "Fuck it, procrastination."

"Fine," Lou huffs, snapping him out of his thoughts, "be an idiot. But if anything, _anything_ creepy happens, don't be a horror movie protagonist about this."

"I think I've seen enough Supernatural to hold my own."

"If you die trying to reenact a scene from Supernatural-"

"Then that's how I want to go out," Will finishes.

They drop the last of the boxes and step back, sighing in relief.

"Thanks you two, really. I would offer you something to eat but," he waves a hand over the packaged furniture.

"No problem. There's a sushi place just down the street anyways."

As they all head out, Will falls into a comfortable silence. He listens to the sound of his friends laughing at talking and hopes with all his heart that this will last.

Lou awkwardly turns her head to look back at him, "Why didn't you get a mover, anyway?"

"Yeah, I have like two dollars."

"Damn," Lee says, " all I have is a ramen noodle flavour packet."

"I have a single quarter. Looks like you're buying, Solace."

They end up walking in, laughing at how above their budget the food was, and then walking out again to find the cheapest take out place they could find.

"So, I found something about the apartment," Lou says in between mouthfuls of fries.

"Oh, is that what you were doing sitting on your phone while Lee and I were carrying an entire fridge?"

She grins,"Yeah. Anyways, apparently this family, the di Angelos, lived in that apartment. Supposedly the father was involved in a huge thing with gang rivalries or whatever, and one day he came home to find out that his wife and kids had been murdered in cold blood. It's said to have happened in the exact same room you bought. So if you see a little girl in a white dress..."

"Well then I'll just tell my dad he doesn't have to be worried about me being all alone in the apartment anymore."

"You should set up recording equipment. See if you pick up anything," Lee pipes up.

"Sure, so if you hear any demonic voices at three in the morning telling you to get out, you can completely ignore them.

"Exactly," Will says cheerfully.

* * *

By the time he gets back, Will only has the energy to try and figure out how to assemble one Ikea table. His arms are cramped and sore and he just can't seem to get it to work. Seriously, it's like they put in extra parts just to mess with you.

He's still full from the take out, luckily, because all of his furniture either boxed or wrapped in bubblewrap and strewn across his living room. By the time he gives up, he's cursed the entirety of Sweden several times over.

He decides to call it a night, or tries to. He hunts down a blanket from deep within one of the boxes and curls up on his too small couch with his laptop.

* * *

It feels like way too early when Will's alarm screams at him to get up the next morning. He barely got any sleep last night, opting instead to browse the internet well into the night- or rather, morning- even though he knew he would regret it the next day. He needs to get up, but the outside air is so cold and his bed is so warm...

Before he knows it, his second alarm( elegantly titled; "WAKE THE FUCK UP YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TIL CLASS STARTS") is ringing. He swears and shoots out of bed, not bothering to change his clothes or get breakfast . He gives himself a minute to brush his teeth and grab his backpack before he starts in an all out sprint. He almost swears he feels a pair of eyes on his back and goosebumps pick up at the back of his neck as he shuts the door, but he puts it down to his imagination.


	2. Chapter 2

There's something...off about his new living space.  
Will does his best to quell what he puts down as paranoia, trying to shrug it off as Lou messing with his head, but logic never helps in these situations;  
It's way too drafty for a cramped apartment in the middle of summer. (Hey, so what? Air-conditioning is expensive, this is a blessing in disguise)  
There's just this feeling, like he's not alone. (overactive imagination)  
Footsteps, knocking (it's probably just coming from next door)

So when all else fails, he just decides to spend as much time as possible away from it. Will spends hours in the library- over studying never hurt anybody, right?  
But soon there's just too much information in his brain and he just can't cram in anymore.

He procrastinates some more, dreading having to feel those familiar goosebumps at the eerie silence of his house. He browses stores until he's kicked out, and does basically anything he can think of to stall.

But sooner or later, he has to go back.

And the feeling always hits him even harder after spending so much time away.  
His house isn't normal, and this worries him, hard as he tries to pretend otherwise.

Will debates calling Lou and admitting that she may be right. But honestly speaking he doesn't want to give her the satisfaction. And besides, it's not like he has any proof.

He hesitantly opens the search bar, then runs through the information; mediums, saging, ringing bells...  
He closes the tab quickly.

 _Stop being paranoid, Will._

But he still has half a mind to go grab his salt from the kitchen.

* * *

He sets up arrangements for the next few days.  
Anything to keep him out of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Will Solace was not haunted. _He was not._

He repeated this mantra to himself as he scanned over the content from his blaring screen; the only source of light in his otherwise dark room. Why he had decided to read up on haunted houses at three am in the dark room of his creepy house was beyond him.

The idea had begun brewing- an idea conjured up in his brain, tired from late nights and fried from classes.

It had been well-intended at the start. His house was _not_ haunted. His friends had just put the idea in his head, and his overworked college brain had just taken the story and run with it. He was just living on his own for the first time. And that freaked him out a little.

His house was not haunted and he would prove it.

Ghosts probably weren't even a thing.

It was all downhill from there.

The more he read, the more things began falling into place; the cold-spots, the feeling of being watched, the goosebumps that formed on his arms in the middle of summer. The muffled voices heard in the late hours of the night that would be so easily explained if not for the fact that his neighbours were on vacation.

His heart thudded in his chest.

Will Solace was not haunted. Well, maybe a little.

He texted Lou. It was late and she'd probably be asleep. He hoped she'd be asleep. That way he could chalk it up to exhaustion-induced panic, the fear washed away in the daylight. That way he wouldn't have to admit she was right. That he had a problem.

She was awake.

He groaned, inhaled, then dialed her number.

"So uh, you may be right."

"Hello to you too, Solace. I'm quite doing quite well in this timeline that god has abandoned."

He sighed.

"Sorry, this project is getting to me. You'll have to be a bit more specific, by the way. I'm always right."

"I think my apartment is haunted."

The line remained silent, but the smugness was tangible.

"What makes you say that?" She said after a noticeable pause.

"So I was doing some research-"

"Reading clickbait articles at midnight is not research."

"- and a lot of things started to fall into place."

He froze suddenly.

"Will?"

"There's this tapping noise above my bed. It's really fucking creeping me out. It just stopped as soon as I said that."

"So your house is haunted."

"You were right. What do I owe you," it came out as a statement rather than a question.

Will dragged his hand over his face, trying to calm down.

"I'll come over tomorrow as soon as I'm done with class. Just don't die, Solace."

He laughed humourlessly,"I'll do my best."

* * *

 **That last one is based off of something that happened to me at my friend's house. (They don't have neighbours or trees by the wall of the room where I was sleeping. It was really creepy.) Apologies for the late update! Life started being a lot with my senior year, etc.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Not all heroes wear capes, sometimes they appear at your door with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a dollar store bag in the other."

Lou cracks a smile at that.

True to her word, she had appeared at his door that afternoon- looking as tired as ever.

Will rubs his eyes sympathetically. He had been sleeping until she'd barged into his apartment.

She hands him her styrofoam cup. The residue from her chapstick around the lip catches the light seeping from the kitchen window.

She barges past him, opening cabinets and loudly rummaging through them.

"Do you have a lighter?"

"Why would I have a lighter?"

While most of his furniture has been unpacked, the less necessary items sit in open boxes. Unpacking everything hadn't been the first activity on his list, what with the blind panic of classes.

The mess of packaged furniture and empty boxes probably aren't helping her energetic search for whatever it was she was looking for.

"Matches?" She calls again.

"Next to the oven."

"Grab some salt."

"Does a McDonald's spice sachet count?"

She gives a long sigh. Then appears in the hallway next to him a few moments later.

"So what happened, exactly? Did you play with a Ouija board or something?'

"Gods no. I'm not a white girl in a horror movie, Lou- despite what you may think."

"So is it activity in a specific room? You said creepy shit was happening in your bedroom?"

"I don't know. It's like.. it's following me or something. But only in this house."

"Well, at least you didn't try to mess with it or whatever. You're smarter than I thought," she smiles.

"Burn the sage, smoke out the rooms. Buy some proper salt and use that if things get worse. Call me if things get worse. Try not to burn your place down," she shoves the bundle of sage into one hand, and the box of matches into his other.

Then she leaves, as abruptly as she'd arrived.

Will sighs. He feels like an idiot, waving a bunch of flaming herbs around his house. But maybe it'll help put his mind at ease.

So he complies, hoping that things don't get worse.

* * *

It's stupid, but he feels safer.

He's exhausted from school and he's having trouble keeping his eyes closed. He drifts off into a peaceful sleep, for once not worried about school or his situation.

* * *

It's dark and his throat is dry when he wakes up.

Stumbling to the kitchen, he turns his back to pour himself a glass of water.

When he turns back around, there's a figure standing in his doorway.

He feels oddly calm, as if Lee had simply wandered into his apartment- instead of a real life, actual fucking _ghost_.

Will opens his mouth," Do- do you want anything?"

His voice is steady, even calm. Its tone is almost awkward, like there's a guest in his kitchen and he's been a bad host.

The figure smiles slightly. It looks out of place with his dark features. His hair is dark and messy, and his eyes are a little sad.

"There's a ghost in your house, and your first instinct is to offer it... a drink?"

He has a faint accent; not quite American. He looks about Will's age, if a bit younger.

Will realises he's been staring for too long.

He shrugs in response.

There's an awkward silence. He's having an awkward conversation with a ghost.

"So you're not a little girl in a white dress," he blurts.

He immediately regrets it.

"Are you...disappointed?"

"I just- I thought haunted houses were supposed to have little-girl-demons or angry Japanese ghosts?"

"You're basing this off of twenty-first century horror movies?"

His accent is just a hint of something else. Spanish? Portuguese?

He accepted this as his new normal; holding conversations with ghosts in his kitchen at three in the morning.

"So it's been you? All the weird noises."

He nods.

"Just you? What about all the rumours? The mob dad and his dead kids?"

"People usually don't stay here very long. I tend to... use whatever means necessary to drive them out. I don't like sharing my space."

"What about me?"

His expression is unreadable.

The room is quiet for a few minutes.

"Sorry about... creeping you out. I didn't mean to," and then he just disappears.

Will stands there for a bit, trying to process everything.

Finally, he takes his phone out of his pocket.

 _'So uh_

 _Something just happened- Will.'_

* * *

 **Finally, it's the ghost! *Jazz hands***

 **I know it took a while, but I didn't want to rush things.**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


End file.
